Shining Rewards: The Value of Rooftop Solar Power for Consumers and Society
Solar energy is on the rise in the United States. At the end of the first quarter of 2015, more than 21,300 megawatts of cumulative solar electric capacity had been installed around the country, enough to power more than 4.3 million homes. The rapid growth of solar energy in the United States is the result of forward-looking policies that are helping the nation reduce its contribution to global warming and expand its use of local renewable energy sources.
Federal Government’s ‘Go Solar’ Efforts Paying Dividends
As part of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to improve sustainability and reduce harmful carbon emissions, the U.S. Navy and General Services Administration (GSA) have announced plans to develop more than 10 megawatts (MW) of new solar facilities in the nation’s capital, building on progress already made through the launch of the Capital Solar Challenge. Today, nine percent of the federal government’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources, including solar, putting the White House on pace to reach its goal of 30 percent renewable energy use by 2025.
Softer Solar Landings: Options to Avoid the Investment Tax Credit Cliff
Federal tax policies have been an important driver for solar’s recent remarkable growth, but without action during the 114th Congress, the 30-percent investment tax credit (ITC) for solar and other clean energy technologies will expire at the end of 2016. This policy brief estimates the impacts that current law would have on the solar industry.
Shared Solar: Current Landscape, Market Potential, and the Impact of Federal Securities Regulation
Analysis from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) finds that by making shared solar programs available to households and businesses that currently cannot host on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems shared solar could represent 32 to 49 percent of the distributed photovoltaic market in 2020.
Softer Solar Landings: Options to Avoid the Investment Tax Credit Cliff
This policy brief estimates the impacts that current law would have on the solar industry. It also formulates several policy alternatives and estimates their effectiveness at mitigating the negative impacts of the investment tax credit cliff embedded within current law.
Bridging the Clean Energy Divide: Affordable Clean Energy Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
In their new report, the National Resources Defense Council delves into the impacts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Clean Power Plan on more vulnerable communities. The NRDC examines the affordable solutions available that can provide the health and efficiency benefits to all Americans - including low- and fixed-income Americans.
Shining Cities: Harnessing the Benefits of Solar Energy in America
By the end of 2014, the United States had 20,500 megawatts (MW) of cumulative solar electric capacity, enough to power four million average U.S. homes. This success is the outcome of federal, state and local programs that are working in concert to make solar power accessible to more Americans.
Trends for North American clean energy RFPs in 2014
This list includes important trends regarding North America's clean energy RFPs in 2014.
Efficient Use of Land to Meet Sustainable Energy Needs
Solar energy within the built environment may be an overlooked opportunity for meeting sustainable energy needs in places with land and environmental constraints.
The Solar Economy: Widespread Benefits for North Carolina
North Carolina is the South’s leader, and fourth among U.S. states, in using solar power to diversify its portfolio of electric power generation fuels. Three policy issues affect the future of North Carolina’s continued development of large-scale solar, which can be viewed in the attached document.